Mare Island Community Information

Mare Island began operations as a naval support facility in 1860 serving our country for over 136 years before closing in 1996 as a result of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act. The Navy then began the process of turning the base over to the City of Vallejo (the City), CA, which assumed the responsibilities of Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA). The City selected Weston Solutions, Inc. (WESTON) to develop the former Navy Dredge Ponds as a Regional Dredged Material Disposal Facility (RDMDF) to accept various types of dredged materials from sites in the greater San Francisco Bay area. More...

Early Transfer
WESTON worked closely with the City and the Navy through the Southwest Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) to utilize the Early Transfer Process to transfer approximately 2,800 acres, including the Dredge Ponds and other environmentally valuable wetlands, from the Navy to the State Lands Commission (SLC). Because these lands were reversionary, the SLC will retain ownership. WESTON managed the Early Transfer Process, which was completed in September 2002 upon Governor Davis' signature of the transaction. The SLC has subleased the Dredge Ponds area to the City, and the wetlands and other valuable habitat to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for wildlife management. WESTON will exercise a lon-term sublease from the City to develop the RDMDF upon completing the necessary environmental processes.

Regional Dredged Material Disposal Facility
The RDMDF consists of seven ponds encompassing 350 acres, with an existing capacity of 2.5 million cubic yards. When all the levees are raised, the facility will have a buildout capacity of close to 9 million cubic yards. The facility is capable of handling both clean and impared sediments that are unsuitable for disposal into the San Francisco Bay or the ocean. Dredged materials will be accepted from ports, marinas, the marine industry, and marine construction projects that currently have limited or no access to disposal facilities. WESTON has the flexibility of accepting dredged materials hydraulically for large navigation deepening projects and mechanically for smaller projects. The income received by the City from the RDMDF operation will be used to fund critical infrastructure improvements at Mare Island. The environmental and operating permit processes are proceeding smoothly, with operation scheduled to begin in summer 2004.

Benefits of the RDMDF

Supports the San Francisco Bay's Long-Term Management Strategy, which emphasizes upland placement of dredged material.

Satisfies a critical need to provide a disposal facility for both clean and contaminated dredged materials.

Able to handle dredged material from both small and large projects.

Provides income to fund critical infrastructure improvements at Mare Island.